International Journal of Language and Literary Studies

Examining the Transferability of Westernised Language Learner Autonomy (WLLA) Models to Saudi Arabian Students of English as Foreign Language

Abdulmonem Altyari — 2026-08-07

The autonomy of language learners is an important element in the successful acquisition of a second language, but model development in this area has primarily occurred in Western, thus individualistic and learner-centred, contexts. In Saudi Arabia, second language learning is typically teacher-centred and shaped by a collectivist culture. This study examined the structure and cross-cultural validity of a language learner autonomy model that originated in the West, using two independent samples of Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL): a confirmatory sample (N = 230) and an exploratory sample (N = 166). Confirmatory factor analysis of the main sample showed a mixed-model fit. Discriminant validity was assessed using both the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the heterotrait-monotrait ratio, which showed agreement. Linguistic Confidence and Social Comparison emerged as stable, distinct factors, whereas Information Literacy, Metacognition and Self-Reliance were strongly intercorrelated. Locus of Control demonstrated weak reliability and validity and was closely associated with Social Comparison. A four-factor solution emerged, in which Information Literacy, Metacognition and Self-Reliance were all loaded onto a single dominant factor, while Social Comparison and Linguistic Confidence remained distinct. This indicates that language learning autonomy should not be treated as a universal construct. Saudi EFL students appear to conceptualise autonomy as reactive, scaffolded and socially mediated, reflecting a context in which autonomous second language learning develops through structured instructional support.

From Patriarchal Oppression to Philosophical Freedom: Establishing a Feminist Framework for Transcendence in The Memoirs of Emma Courtney

Andrew Schenck — 2026-08-07

Emma Courtney from The Memoirs of Emma Courtney is quite different from other female protagonists of the 18th or 19th centuries. Rather than serving as a role model for female chastity and propriety, she is imbued with an independent spirit, which compels her to violate strict social norms assigned to females. Her independent spirit helps her discover the power of raw passion, as well as a means to control this passion with rational thought. Through her unique philosophical epiphany that combines stereotypical “female” passions with “male” reason, Emma acquires the confidence and independence needed to transcend patriarchal oppression. Although lacking a great deal of agency, she gains a psychological sense of freedom through developing her own personal philosophy. This coping mechanism serves as a guide for ordinary women of the period, who may have lacked a means to obtain status or marry for love. Essentially, Emma represents every woman, defining how feminist values can be universally applied in a dominant patriarchal regime.

Speaking From Margins: Subaltern Voice and Resistance in Joi Barrios-LeBlanc's Selected Poems

Krestien Adreana Bajenio — 2026-08-07

This study examines how selected poems by Joi Barrios-LeBlanc stage subaltern speech and resistance through a postcolonial feminist reading anchored in Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's concepts of subalternity, representation, epistemic violence, and audibility, with support from Chandra Talpade Mohanty's critique of the homogenized Third World woman. Using qualitative descriptive literary analysis, the article interprets six poems: Liham ng Pag-Ibig ng Isang Nagsisimulang Feminista, Babae Akong Nagmula sa Bayang Mahirap, Sagot ng Puke, Ang Kapatid na Babae ng Ilustrado, Ang Babaeng Nagsasalita Bilang Kababayan, and Habilin kay Mebuyan. Findings show that the poems construct the Third World Filipina as a historically situated subject who speaks through self-definition, bodily reclamation, historical insertion, public testimony, and collective memory. The article's theoretical intervention is that Barrios-LeBlanc's poetry does not merely confirm Spivak's difficulty of subaltern speech; it shows how lyric address, vernacular naming, embodied language, and communal memory create provisional conditions for hearing. The analysis argues that subaltern speech in the poems is not simple access to voice, but a contested struggle for recognition within systems that misread, overwrite, or silence marginalized women. Barrios-LeBlanc's poetry therefore extends Filipino feminist poetics by presenting resistance as a struggle over audibility, not only as a declaration of empowerment.

AI-Based Feedback in Academic Writing: Insights from EFL Undergraduate Students at Saudi Higher Education

Mona Alzahrani — 2026-08-07

With the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in higher education, understanding students' attitudes toward these tools is essential for shaping effective academic practices. By grounding the investigation of AI-based feedback within socio-cognitive and self-regulated learning theories, this study examined undergraduate students' perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as Grammarly, ChatGPT, and MS Copilot as feedback tools for their academic writing. The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design to capture students' perceptions. The sample consisted of 100 undergraduate students in the College of Medicine at Taif University. Data were collected using an adapted structured questionnaire employing a five-point Likert scale spanning from 'strongly disagree' (1) to 'strongly agree' (5). Data were analyzed using SPSS (v. 26) to ensure the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, and to perform descriptive statistical tests. The findings revealed that students held positive perspectives of AI as a feedback tool on their writing performance, learning and reflection, and affective impact. Furthermore, students reflected a high level of trust in the quality and credibility of AI-generated feedback for supporting academic writing tasks. The study recommended integrating AI literacy into writing curricula, establishing institutional guidelines for responsible AI use, and encouraging balanced reliance on AI tools with the teachers' guidance.

EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Inquiry-Based Learning in Enhancing Spoken Pragmatic Skills at Mohammed V University

YOUNESS HAIRANE — 2026-08-07

The current quantitative cross-sectional study investigated EFL teachers’ perceptions of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) for enhancing spoken pragmatic competence among university students. Forty in-service English instructors from three faculties at Mohammed V University, Rabat, responded to a standardized questionnaire addressing perceived effectiveness and specific features of IBL, alongside current pragmatic-instruction practices and implementation challenges. The instrument showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .85). Teachers perceived IBL very favourably (M = 4.22), reported moderate classroom integration (M = 3.33), and reported relatively low levels of pragmatic assessment (M = 2.95). Overall IBL perceptions correlated significantly with self-reported pragmatic-instruction practices (r = .61, p < .01). These findings are not intended to generalise beyond the examined institution and represent situated evidence from a single university. Consistent with the belief–practice gap in teacher cognition, institutional barriers, implementation uncertainty, social-desirability bias, and self-report measurement effects may all play a role. The study extends teacher-cognition research by showing that positive beliefs can facilitate, but do not guarantee, inquiry-oriented pragmatic instruction. Practical implications include a worked guided-inquiry lesson and an analytic rubric for spoken pragmatic performance.

Constraint Transfer and Reranking in L3 English Vowel Acquisition: An Optimality-Theoretic Account of Moroccan Multilingual Speech

Zaina Mhantich — 2026-08-07

This theoretical article models the acquisition of English high-vowel contrasts by Moroccan multilingual learners through an Optimality-Theoretic account of transfer and cue development. The focus is the contrast between /i?-?/ and /u?-?/, a learning problem because Tashlhiyt, Moroccan Arabic, and French all provide peripheral high vowels but no four-member high-vowel system equivalent to English. The study uses a comparative phonological analysis of the target and source systems, formulates a restricted set of markedness and faithfulness constraints, and derives ranking hypotheses that can be tested in future perception and production research. The proposed baseline grammar ranks *HI-LAX and *V? above IDENT-IO(TENSE) and MAX-?, predicting merger of /i?-?/ to [i] and /u?-?/ to [u]. Independent promotion of MAX-? and IDENT-IO(TENSE) yields duration-first and quality-first intermediate grammars. The analysis links these rankings to major L3 transfer models and argues for a property-by-property account in which vowel quality and duration may develop asynchronously.

When Word Becomes Thought: An Analysis of the Written Word Creating Critical Thinking in an ESL Setting

Anupama George — 2026-08-07

The ability to read and fully comprehend is a major step in an individual's education. The same text on the page speaks differently to each person. Historically, information was disseminated orally through storytellers and scribes, as Jean-Paul Sartre notes in his autobiography ‘Les Mots’ (1964), where he describes the difference between being told a story and being read one by his mother. The path of understanding whatever subject matter is being read subtly alters everything, moving the words from the page to the conscious grasp of meaning and the ‘texture’ of the words. What do we mean by ‘texture’ in this context? Texture, broadly, can be contextualized and broken down into superficial meaning, detailed in-depth meaning, subconscious meaning that may be attributed to it, and the reader's grasp of it. Mikhail Bakhtin speaks of heteroglossia, and Louise Rosenblatt speaks of the efferent-aesthetic scale while reading and assimilating the written word. We use the term ‘language’ even though the spoken word differs from what is on the page or in other media, such as a computer screen. Our understanding also brings about dimensions and grades of perception. In an ESL setting, especially, being able to layer multiple processes of literary theory and outlook helps to deepen and widen understanding and perspective significantly. Readers can tether their reading to these to enhance their reading experience rather than be confined to rote learning and explanatory frameworks. They build their own scaffolding, and this architecture is unique to each reader.

Leadership Development and Workplace Preparedness among MBA Students: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis

Mounir Beniche — 2026-08-07

Leadership development has emerged as a fundamental objective of modern MBA education as organizations increasingly seek professionals who can navigate complexity, innovation, and organizational change. This study explores MBA students' perceptions and experiences regarding leadership development and its contribution to workplace success. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 MBA students affiliated with Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco (Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences-Souissi), from diverse educational and professional backgrounds. The collected data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework. The findings generated eight interconnected themes: motivations for MBA enrollment, perceptions of leadership, the significance of leadership development, experiential learning, challenges in leadership formation, leadership and employability, recommendations for program enhancement, and essential leadership competencies. The results reveal that students perceive leadership as transformational, collaborative, and ethically grounded rather than authoritarian. Experiential learning activities such as teamwork, presentations, simulations, and workshops were considered particularly effective in strengthening communication, critical thinking, adaptability, and decision-making abilities. Participants also emphasized the importance of mentorship, coaching, collaboration, and practical exposure in bridging the gap between academic learning and workplace realities. Despite encountering challenges such as communication barriers, cultural diversity issues, and balancing academic and professional responsibilities, students viewed these experiences as opportunities for resilience and personal growth. The study contributes to the growing scholarship on leadership education by highlighting the importance of integrating experiential, reflective, and interpersonal learning approaches into MBA curricula. The findings suggest that leadership development should extend beyond theoretical instruction to include authentic professional experiences that enhance workplace readiness and managerial effectiveness. By examining leadership development within the Moroccan higher education context, this study contributes to the body of qualitative research on MBA leadership education in non-Western contexts and provides context-specific insights that can enhance curriculum design, leadership training, and graduate employability initiatives.

From Frankenstein to Algorithms: Extending Biesta's Educational Domains Through a Romantic Lens for AI-Integrated Higher Education

Abdelhadi IDABDALLAH — 2026-08-07

This paper argues that Romanticism in general and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) in particular offer a precise and relevant lens through which one can examine today's anxieties towards AI. Two centuries ago, before ChatGPT, Romantic thinkers were already warning that unchecked technological ambition could cause the erosion of human creativity, empathy, and moral judgment. On that, Shelley's novel, long read as a cautionary tale about creation without responsibility, speaks directly to today's debates about AI's role in education as an analogy that gives a clearer image of the challenges academics are facing today. Building on Biesta's three domains of education — qualification, socialization, and subjectification — this paper proposes a Romantic-Humanistic Pedagogical Framework that reframes each domain in light of AI integration. Rather than treating soft skills such as critical thinking, ethical reasoning, creativity, and interpersonal communication as secondary outcomes, this framework positions them as the very foundation of meaningful education in an AI-driven world. The paper closes with practical strategies for educators and academics who wish to embrace AI without letting go of the humanistic mission of higher education, led by the enduring lesson gleaned from Frankenstein: that what we create, we must also take responsibility for.

Expressing Specialized Knowledge in Arabic: A Sociolinguistic Study of Fusha and Moroccan Darija

Zakariae Azennoud — 2026-08-07

Human knowledge is a stratified system of ideas about subjects and objects. Some strata entail common, practical knowledge, embedded in daily practices of social interaction and related to basic necessities such as food, clothes, and traditions; others are specialized, involving, inter alia, conceptual reflections on scientific notions, visions of future destinies, and positions on intellectual controversies. Given that language and its colloquialisms constitute the primary medium through which human knowledge is conveyed, it remains unresolved, based on mere intuition and limited evidence, whether standard language or colloquial is more instrumental in articulating the higher strata of specialized knowledge. This study investigates this question through the lens of Arabic, focusing on Standard Arabic (fu??a) and the Moroccan colloquial variety (d?ri?a). The methodological framework comprises two complementary techniques; first, a structured interview is conducted with 15 graduate students of Arabic Studies, who are asked to respond to a set of specialized questions related to language, history, physics, religion, artificial intelligence, and media initially using d?ri?a, then fu??a. The data, drawn from the recorded and written responses, are collected for comparative corpus analysis with particular focus on lexical and syntactic dimensions. The findings of the study reveal that although participants are native speakers of d?ri?a, they find it significantly challenging to express specialized knowledge using a unique colloquial variety, as their lexical content is heavily influenced by fu??a structures. While fu??a demands more cognitive effort and time, it yields output that is lexically specific and dense. Also, in d?ri?a function words and short-length structures are dominant, which allow the speech to expand at ease, and linguistic creativity is notable. The present study seeks to enrich the sociolinguistic discussion on the role of Standard Arabic and Arabic colloquial varieties in their speakers’ cognitive and communicative practices, particularly in regard to the expressibility of specialized knowledge.

Corpus-Based Instruction for Developing Colligational Competence in Arab EFL Translation Students

Sahar Ali — 2026-08-07

The present research was conducted to examine the efficiency of corpus-based teaching in influencing the capacity of Arab English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university learners to recognize and use English colligational grammatical patterns in translation. A convergent mixed-methods design combined with a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test approach was used. Twenty-one first-year undergraduate translation students at the Arab Open University, Egypt, were involved in a 12-week Data-Driven Learning (DDL) intervention utilizing the British National Corpus (BNC), Sketch Engine, and BootCaT. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, the former through a translation achievement test administered before and after the intervention, and the latter through a post-intervention questionnaire and reflective audio recordings. Quantitative analyses involved descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, paired-samples t-tests, and Cohen's d, while the qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The results showed statistically significant changes in students' recognition and use of English colligational grammatical patterns, with both skills demonstrating large effect sizes. However, no major difference emerged in the case of longer translation activities, which implies that discourse-level translation competence needs a more sustained period of instructional support. Participants also reported improved grammatical awareness, increased confidence in making translation decisions, and greater reliance on authentic corpus evidence. These results affirm the need to incorporate corpus-based teaching into higher-education translation courses to strengthen grammatical knowledge and evidence-based translation practices among Arab EFL students.

Development and Validation of a Philosophy-Based Language Teaching Profile Scale (PBLT-PS) for Pre-Service English Teachers

Eric D. Palmerola — 2026-08-07

Philosophy-based language teaching (PBLT) integrates philosophical concepts into language instruction, yet it remains undervalidated due to the absence of an instrument measuring philosophical standpoints. This study developed and validated a Philosophy-based Language Teaching Profile Scale (PBLT-PS) using a quantitative design with Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to assess its factorial validity and reliability. Participants were 100 purposively selected pre-service English teachers from a Philippine state college who completed an expert-validated, pilot-tested 30-item questionnaire. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure (0.869) and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (?² = 5269.610, p < .001) confirmed the data’s suitability for factor analysis. EFA yielded a three-factor structure retaining 28 items: Factor 1 (11 items) accounted for 68.84% of the variance, Factor 2 (9 items) for 8.90%, and Factor 3 (8 items) for 4.43%, together explaining 82.16% of the total variance. Cronbach’s alpha exceeded .975 for each factor, indicating excellent internal consistency. These results demonstrate that the PBLT-PS possesses a psychometrically sound, three-dimensional structure, providing teacher educators and researchers with a validated instrument for assessing pre-service English teachers’ philosophical orientations toward language teaching. As validation relied on EFA alone, future research should conduct confirmatory factor analysis with an independent sample to statistically corroborate this structure.

Analysis of Teachers' Non-Vocal Paralinguistic Cues in English Language Classrooms

JETRO SAGOT — 2026-08-07

Non-vocal paralinguistic cues constitute essential multimodal resources through which teachers facilitate classroom communication and support English language instruction. This study examined (1) the non-vocal paralinguistic cues employed by English language teachers in classroom instruction and (2) the pedagogical insights that can be drawn from these cues to enhance English language teaching. Anchored in Kinesics Theory, Multimodal Theory, and Mehrabian's Theory of Communication, the study employed a qualitative multimodal discourse analysis of five video-recorded English language classes. The analysis identified twelve domains of non-vocal paralinguistic cues, revealing that hand gestures (17.17%), facial expressions (13.98%), and posture (11.33%) were the most frequently employed communicative resources, whereas physical contact (3.01%) occurred least frequently. The findings further revealed that teachers employed a wide range of embodied communicative behaviors to facilitate discourse organization, clarify instructional content, regulate classroom interaction, and foster teacher–student engagement. Self-adaptors were likewise observed to function primarily as self-regulatory behaviors rather than intentional meaning-making resources. These findings underscore the pedagogical significance of non-vocal communication in English language teaching and highlight the need to strengthen teachers' awareness and strategic use of multimodal resources to promote instructional clarity, learner engagement, and inclusive classroom communication.

Cross-Linguistic Interference from Spanish to French in Learners' Writing Productions

Gabriel Sabatini Tamayo — 2026-08-07

This study examines linguistic interference from Spanish to French in the written productions of fifth-semester students enrolled in the Foreign Languages Program at the University of Cartagena. The research aimed to identify and categorize the most common instances of cross-linguistic influence present in learners' written responses. A mixed-methods design with a qualitative emphasis was adopted. Data were collected through a structured written production test consisting of guided writing tasks, sentence translation, sentence ordering, and interpretation activities. The analysis focused on identifying and classifying instances of interference according to four linguistic domains: morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. The findings revealed that morphological interference was the most frequent category, particularly in orthography, grammatical gender, and lexical borrowing. Syntactic and semantic interferences were also recurrent, while pragmatic interference appeared less frequently. The results suggest that the typological proximity between Spanish and French facilitates learning while simultaneously generating transfer-related difficulties. The study highlights the importance of explicitly addressing differences between language during instruction in order to create linguistic awareness and to reduce negative transfer and improve learners' written production.

Incidental Vocabulary Learning: Evaluating the Predictions of the Involvement Load Hypothesis Plus

Maram Almohaimeed — 2026-08-07

Incidental vocabulary learning is a fundamental way to develop L2 learners’ vocabulary knowledge. The Involvement Load Hypothesis Plus (ILH Plus) offers a refined model of the earlier ILH on incidental vocabulary learning, yet its predictions remain largely unverified. This study evaluated the predictions of the ILH Plus regarding the contribution of the search component and examined whether word length and working memory (WM) contribute beyond the model or moderate its predictions. In a quasi-experimental design, 87 female university EFL learners completed a reading task either with or without search (dictionary consultation). Vocabulary learning was assessed using immediate and delayed meaning-recall tests, and WM was measured using digit-span tasks. Results showed that both tasks produced comparable immediate vocabulary learning which supports the predictions of the ILH Plus whereas similar delayed retention does not. Word length significantly predicted both immediate and delayed vocabulary learning whereas phonological WM was only positively associated with immediate learning. Neither word length nor WM moderated the predictions of the ILH Plus. The findings suggest that there is a threshold for task effectiveness to be measurable when compared to another task. They also emphasize the importance of considering lexical characteristics alongside task effectiveness index when evaluating incidental vocabulary learning.

Reshaping Perspectives: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Filipino Women’s Representations in the 20th- and 21st-Century Philippine Literature

Charles Andrew Tolentino — 2026-08-10

Since the beginning of recorded history, women have experienced oppression from men, contributing to the emergence of feminist movements and feminist literary theory, which examines gender inequality, oppression, and women’s agency. Although feminist literary criticism has gained recognition in the Philippines, studies examining Filipino women’s representations across historical periods remain limited. Hence, this study examined Filipino women’s representations in selected 20th- and 21st-century Philippine literary texts through Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis, specifically Lirio by Peter Solis Nery and Sinigang by Marie Aubrey Villaceran. The findings revealed that all five language registers were evident in both texts and functioned as markers of power relations among characters. Filipino women negotiated power through various linguistic and communicative strategies, including association with nature, shouting, silence, assertive language, submissive language, politeness, sympathetic language, and indirect language. Women in the 20th-century text were represented as religious, excluded, and overdependent, whereas women in the 21st-century text were portrayed as submissive, emotionally complex, and morally empowered. Across both texts, women were commonly represented as performing domestic and caregiving roles, voiceless, oppressed, objectified, and living within patriarchal social structures, while also demonstrating empowerment. Overall, the findings indicate both continuity and change, with the 21st-century text presenting more nuanced forms of female agency and resistance while patriarchal ideologies remain evident in both texts.

Dimple Das Gupta in Bharati Mukherjee’s Wife: A Cultural Hybrid

Muhd. Mustafizur Rahman — 2026-08-12

This paper explores the theme of cultural hybridity in Bharati Mukherjee’s novel Wife, focusing on the tragic journey of Dimple Das Gupta, a first-generation Indian immigrant in the United States. Drawing upon Homi K. Bhabha’s postcolonial theory of hybridity and the “third space,” the study examines Dimple’s cultural dislocation, identity crisis, and failed attempts at assimilation in an alien land. While many diaspora protagonists in Mukherjee’s works strive to forge new identities through acculturation, Dimple resists cultural transformation, clinging instead to her native Bengali values and traditional expectations. The novel reflects the psychological and cultural conflict that arises when immigrant identities are caught between two opposing cultural systems. Dimple’s narrative represents a complex portrayal of female subjectivity, trapped in a liminal space marked by unbelonging and cultural schizophrenia. Her fantasies of marriage, rooted in romanticized Indian ideals, collapse in the face of harsh immigrant realities, leading to psychological breakdown and ultimately, tragedy. Through this analysis, the paper argues that Wife challenges the celebratory narratives of cultural hybridity by highlighting the alienation and fragmentation it can bring, especially for immigrant women who struggle to reconcile traditional roles with the expectations of a foreign society.

Digital Transformation in Moroccan Higher Education: Challenges and Opportunities at Mohammed V University in Rabat

Imane OULD-BOUYA — 2026-08-14

This qualitative study explores the digital transformation in Moroccan higher education. It focuses on student experiences at Mohammed V University in Rabat. The research addresses how students perceive digital transformation's impact on learning experiences and academic engagement. It also examines the challenges and opportunities associated with adapting to e-learning platforms and digital tools. The study employs a phenomenological approach, using in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 undergraduate students from the EFL program. Phenomenological thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns and themes in the data. Findings suggest that students perceive digital transformation as both enhancing and challenging their learning experiences. While many appreciate the flexibility and accessibility of digital resources, others report difficulties in maintaining motivation and engagement in online environments. Students also face technical issues and digital literacy gaps. The research contributes to the growing literature on digital transformation in higher education by offering insights from a Moroccan context. It highlights the need for tailored support systems and pedagogical approaches that address students’ specific needs and experiences in digitally transformed learning environments. The findings have implications for university administrators and policymakers seeking to develop strategies for effective digital technology integration in higher education.